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Discussion on Swollen Hock...
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Member:
leec
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Posted on Friday, Aug 6, 2010 - 12:09 am:
Hi DrO,
Yesterday I noticed my 6 yr old QH mare's left hock was swollen. There did not seem to be any heat, but it seemed a little sore when I palpated it. She did not appear lame, but did allow her pasture mate to trot past her and come up the hill first for their hay, which I’ve never seen before. I gave her 1.5 grams of Bute and iced it. This morning the swelling had started to extend below her hock and tonight the leg is swollen (stocked up?) down to her fetlock. When you push on the point of her hock it’s jelly-like and the indent fills back up right away. She’s had 1.5 grams of Bute twice today and ice. It does not seem sorer when I palpate it. I am reluctant to wrap it – I don’t have much experience with wrapping and have heard you can do more harm than good if it’s done improperly... She does not appear to be lame at the walk or trot, but the leg seems like it may be stiff, maybe a bit short-strided, and she is reluctant to move quickly. From what I’ve read I’m not sure if it could be a capped hock or something more. If it’s a capped hock, when should the swelling start to go down? Does this sound like something I can 'wait and see' for a couple of days, or do you think I should have a vet look at her right away? I’ve posted some pictures – the scrape you see is a couple of weeks old.
Thank you,
Lee C
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Member:
leec
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Posted on Friday, Aug 6, 2010 - 12:17 am:
Huh, can't seem to get the photos to work... Will try again in the morning when my brain is clear...
Lee C
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Member:
leec
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Posted on Friday, Aug 6, 2010 - 12:28 pm:
Here are the pics from yesterday.
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Member:
gramsey1
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Posted on Friday, Aug 6, 2010 - 6:13 pm:
Don't you hate it when this stuff happens on Friday and you're faced with a weekend Vet call?
Do you know what caused the scrap? Is it possible that she got cast somewhere and twisted it?
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Member:
frances
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Posted on Saturday, Aug 7, 2010 - 7:37 am:
Have you considered that the scratch, though seemingly healed, could be covering an ongoing low-grade infection? I believe this can cause inflammation of the whole leg.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Aug 7, 2010 - 7:59 am:
Hello Lee,
If this is traumatic, and that would be most common, the time it will remained swollen will depend on the the degree of trauma. As the article explains the bursa in this location sometimes can become chronically enlarged which is usually what we refer to as "a capped hock". The article associated with this discussion outlines possible treatments for acute injury to this area under the "Capped Hock" heading note the recommendation for rest. As for calling out the vet you must make this decision based on the information we provide here and in the article. Perhaps calling and discussing it with your veterinarian.
DrO
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Member:
leec
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Posted on Saturday, Aug 7, 2010 - 1:51 pm:
Hi All,
Thank you for your responses.
Yes, seems to happen more before or on a weekend, or before an event (which we had in 2 weeks)...
I'm fairly certain the scrape is not part of this injury. It was there after a trail ride through brush a couple of weeks ago. It was superficial - no puncture, was kept clean, was never sore and is healing nicely.
Okay, I think I get it now DrO - 'capped hock' is a result, not an injury on it's own. It sounds like it would have been easier to diagnose more specifically if I'd seen the initial swelling point(s). Will the initial area become more obvious again as the swelling decreases?
I put her out in the pasture yesterday and last night it appeared there was less fluid at the point of her hock. This morning it is noticeably less and the bony protrusions are starting to become visible - whew!
There is a lot of info regarding re-hab - I was a little overwhelmed! I will call my vet on Monday, but at this point should I just leave her out to pasture, or should I be hand walking her some?
Thank you,
Lee C
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Aug 8, 2010 - 7:51 am:
In undiagnosed cases of lameness we recommend resting the horse until seen by the veterinarian. As to what you might see when the swelling goes down...ummm....I am uncertain how to determine what you might see.
DrO
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Member:
leec
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 - 9:45 am:
Just an update. As of yesterday, the swelling/filling has completely disappeared - at least what would be noticeable to the naked eye... She also cantered up at feeding times. I'm giving her a couple of days off the Bute, so we'll see how she does. My husband (she is his trail horse), doesn't want to spend any money on the vet diagnosing the cause, so now I'm left with trying to figure out how much time she should have off...
Lee C
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 - 2:08 pm:
Hello Lee, we have recommendations in the article HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » First Aid for the Lame Horse.
DrO
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Member:
leec
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 - 10:43 pm:
Oh, very good! Thank you DrO for pointing out the article - it is helpful.
Lee C
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Member:
vickiann
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 11, 2010 - 12:24 pm:
Glad that it is going better, Lee C.
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